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s. MERE 10K. RAILROAD CAR TRUCK.

No. 38,973. Patented Ju ne 2a, 1863.

ilgsm Ill illll-lllllll New Brighton,

spiral springs UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

' SILAS MERRIUK, on NEW BRIGHTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT m RAILROAD-CAR TRUCKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,973, dated June 23, 1863. j

*0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SILAS MERRICK, of in the county of Beaver and State .of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in "Side Bearings of Gar-Trucks for Railroads, of. which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accom- '..panying drawings, which make specification, and in which,

part of this Figure -1 represents a view in elevation of one side of so much of a car-truck embracing my improvement as is necessary to illustrate my invention Fig. 17, a plan or top view of the same with the bolster removed; and Fig. 3, a view in elevation of the'same as seen from the front, with the bolster in place.

My invention relates to that-class of cartrucks which are provided with side bearings to render the-motion of the car easy; and my improvementconsists in mounting the friction-rollers forming the side bearings of the cars in guides curved in an arc of which the king-bolmforms the center, and allowing them end-play in theirbearin-gs to'accommodatethemselves to any lateral movement of the car.

In the accompanying drawings, which represent a convenient arrangement of parts for carrying out the object of my invention, the frame or body A of the truck is shown as provided with bearings B,which may be mounted upon wheels in any suitable manner. The car-body in, this-instance is firmly secured to the upper bolster,

the frame A by straps or radius-bars E, connected at bottom by a cross-piece, F, on which G. are mounted. As the tendency of these springs is to lift the swinging bolster, the weight of the car in efiect rests upon them. The swinging bolster is prevented from jumping out of place by stoppins II underneath the frame. The king-bolt I passes throughthe floor of the car, the upper bolster, and the swinging holsten, "Upon each cnd of the swinging bolster D a curved guide-boxer bed-plate, J, is mounted and sustains a friction-roller, K. 1 This friction roller '0, which rests upon aswinging bolster, D, which is suspended from or; wheel K may be of any suitable size, and is provided with a strong. shaft, the journals of which rest upon the bed-plate, which has a smooth, flat surface, and is provided with posts or standards j at each corner of the bed plate, soas to leave a space in which the wheel may roll on itsbearings upon the bedplate to accommodate itself to the swinging of thebolster when the car passes round a curve. The wheels are prevented fromrising proper top plates, J.

out of their bearingsby A corresponding guide, L, is mounted upon the upper bolster and fits upon the friction roller, which has a slight degree of end-play in its bearings, to allow for the wear or play of the king-bolt. The roller and journals are shaped like the I'rustumof a cone, the greater diameter being outside, in order that it may more readily describe the are of a circle round the king-bolt. Both the upper and lower guide-boxes arecurv'ed in the arc of a circle .of which the king-boltforms the center, by

which means the parts are caused at all times to work harmoniousl'y together. The edges of the upper guidehoxes or flanges are slightly beveled, in order that they may readily readjust themselves tov the-rollersin case they should he displaced-by the jolt-ingot the car. The diameter of the wheel K is greater than that of .its journals, and the flanged plate is firmly secured to the. ear-body bolster, and rests on the periphery of the wheel, while the smaller journals rest on the bed-plate of the truck-bolster, where there is less room for length of plate. This arrangement, it will be seen,,allows the top plate to be of greater length than the bottom one, and, as it travels on the periphery of the wheel,it moves much farther than the journals on the bedplate cantraverse, and consequently gives a greater range of motion to the ear. By this means it will be seen that both ends of the bolster are eifectually supported, as-well as its center, and that the several parts of the car and truck oan readilyadjust themselves to the varying circumstances under which they arereqnired to operate. f

Having thus described the construction and operationof my improved side bearing for car trucks, what I claim therein as new, arid de tially in the manner described, for the put sire to. secure by Letters Patent, isposes set forth. I v

The combination of the guides J L, curved In testimony whereof I have hereunto subin the are of a circle of which the king-bolt scribed my name.

forms the center, 'witlr'the conical friction- SILAS MERRICK.

wheels K rolling upon a flat surface, and hav- Witnesses:

ing end-play in their bearings, when con- 7 E. D. MERRIGK, strncted, arranged; and operating substan- CHAS. M. MERRIGK. 

